conworldfandomcom-20200222-history
List of Martin Hall characters
The following is a list of major, recurring or significant characters on the Georgeland television series Martin Hall, which chronicles the Presidency of Joan Tanner and her conflict with Prime Minister Alan Wheatley. Main cast *'Dr. Joan Tanner' President of Georgeland. President Tanner is a political independent from Long Island who dislikes partisan politics. Tanner is the first elected President in fifty years. Tanner comes from an academic background and is a constitutional scholar. She is a mother and grandmother and considers her family paramount, sometimes to the detriment of her political judgement. Tanner is quick-witted and personable, but doesn't like losing or being outmanoeuvered. She doesn't consider herself a politician, but increasingly (particularly in Season 2) makes political deals and schemes to thwart her rival, Prime Minister Wheatley. Despite this, there is evidence Wheatleey and Tanner are closer than they let on, with the finale of Season 1 implying they are actually rather fond of one another. The relationship is rocky, however, and the two clash frequently, culminating in the Season 2 final when Tanner vetoes Wheatley's budget and he forces a general election, which he wins in the Season 3 premiere. Following Season 3, the two have worked more closely together though Tanner remains guarded and cold when having to deal with him, and they are constantly trying to outdo one another for publicity and popularity. Notably, when Wheatley temporarily loses office in Season 4, Tanner regrets the situation and covertly works to restore him to power. Tanner is a capable diplomat and deal-maker, and even Wheatley acknowledges her warmth when dealing with the public and foreign dignitaries. She has a tendency to become over-emotional at times, and lose her normally sound judgement. Tanner is mildly self-deprecating and possesses a fine line in caustic wit, but is more often warm and approachable. She is re-elected for a second four-year term in Through the Winter, the two-part miniseries aired between Seasons 4 and 5. Played by Rebecca Jordan-Wiley. *'Alan Wheatley' Prime Minister of Georgeland. Wheatley is elected Prime Minister in the first episode of Season 1 with a reformist agenda. His political party has never been explicitly stated - , he has consistently shown himself as a political centrist, which does not rule out either the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives. In Episode 2 of Season 2, Tanner commented that Wheatley "dresses like a Tory but talks like a Liberal Democrat", the first time either party had been mentioned on the series. Wheatley is motivated partly by self-interest but he is neither greedy nor power-mad - he is determined however to remain the centre of power and not lose ground to Tanner. Wheatley, like Tanner, is bright, personable and intelligent. He has a fine line in sarcasm. Played by Kevin Bosley. *'Robbie Dahl' The Chief of Staff at Martin Hall, Robbie is a supporter of Tanner's agenda and a political realist, sometimes described as a cynic. He is a workaholic and eats very poorly, though he never seems to gain weight. He is highly devoted to President Tanner, to the extent that in Episode 13 of Season 1 he actually strikes Wheatley in response to a criticism of her by the Prime Minister. For this offence, Robbie was tried but a political deal forced Wheatley to drop the charges against him. Robbie has a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the President's Executive Secretary, Ingrid Sutter, the nature of which is yet to be revealed. They are extremely flirtatious and there have been implied suggestions of a sexual relationship in the past. Played by Vijay Kanja. *'Dr. James Tanner' First Gentleman. Devoted to Joan, his wife, but with very different ideas about child-rearing and, it is suggested, politics. Dr. Tanner is a clinical psychologist who still practices and has very little public role - in Episode 1 of Series 2 he says he has not made a public appearance since Tanner was elected. Bookish and hard-of-hearing, James Tanner has little truck with politics and dislikes talking about it. James is a strict parent while his wife is more lenient - this has caused disagreement among them. He and Joan have four children, two of whom have been seen on-screen. In Episode 13 of Series 1, it is strongly implied that James gave tacit approval to Wheatley to launch a dangerous rescue operation to recover the President from Enkidu rebels, in which she was injured. This has caused further tensions, and the relationship between the Tanners in the early episodes of Series 2 has been caustic. Played by John Riley. *'Ingrid Sutter' Executive Secretary to President Tanner. Young and idealistic, Ingrid was initially politically naive but has "blossomed" by the second season and has a good working knowledge of political reality, though by her own admission she has a lot still to learn. Ingrid is efficient in her working life and may have a form of OCD, as she is meticulously clean. At some point in the past she and Robbie may have been romantically or sexually involved - their relationship remains flirtatious. Played by Amy Roe. *'Charlie Dunlap' Press Secretary and Acting Chief of Staff in the first three episodes of Season 2. Charlie is in his late fifties and has "seen it all", though he is less cynical than Robbie. Charlie, a Scoitan Catholic, is from a trade union background and sees himself as "the enforcer". Described as "a bear", Charlie is boisterous and enthusiastic, but he is also quick to anger and irrational at times. Charlie has apparently been at Martin Hall since the election but did not appear in Season 1. Played by Ross Rann. *'Margaret King' Hired in Season 2, Margaret is the Parliamentary Liaison at Martin Hall. A divorced mother of two, Margaret is Robbie's equal, or possibly superior, when it comes to knowledge of parliamentary procedure and political strategy. She apparently has a 153 IQ. Margaret is supremely confident with a somewhat icy demeanour - in Episode 3 of Season 2, Ingrid feels sorry for Margaret's children. Played by Lucy Bishop. *'Luke Tanner' The youngest child of James and Joan, Luke is eighteen and a "problem child". He has little respect for authority and either doesn't understand or doesn't care that his behaviour is damaging to his mother. Luke has been arrested twice for possession of narcotics - once when he was sixteen and once during his mother's presidency. What to do about Luke's behaviour is a source of constant conflict between his parents - James favours a tough approach while Joan is more sympathetic. Luke appeared in eight of thirteen episodes in Season 1 and will appear again in the same number of Season 2 episodes. Played by Colin Beech. Recurring characters *'Cynthia Drummond' Formerly Minister for Education, now Leader of the Opposition. Like Wheatley, her politics are never made specific. As manipulative as Wheatley but not as politically talented, Robbie refers to her as a 'caretaker leader' and has implied she will be replaced with a more electable candidate before the next election. Drummond is shown to be vain and wealthy (Robbie also described her as 'a hairdo') but is not stupid and has shown considerable political judgement, leading some to suspect Robbie overestimated her. Played by Wendy Frist. *'David Walker' Wheatley's predecessor as Prime Minister. Was leader of the government for six years before his electoral defeat by Wheatley in Episode 1. Walker is somewhat embittered by his experience of losing office but has occasionally appeared to savage Wheatley and, usually, take Tanner's side. In Episode 3 of Series 2, Margaret suggested Walker may be preparing for a political comeback. Played by Mark Collins. *'John Richmond' Aged seventy-seven, Richmond is Tanner's immediate predecessor and was President for two terms. Wise and level-headed, Richmond is a counsellor to the President and the two infrequently communicate, with Richmond giving advice to his successor. In Richmond's latest appearance, in the first episode of the second season, it was suggested that Richmond may be closer to Tanner than is generally known. Played by Eddie Bilson. *'Thomas Burgess' Governor of West Mainland and Acting President for a period when Tanner was out of the country. A career politician who was formerly the state's Chief Minister, Burgess is an ally of Wheatley and helps him when he can. Both Wheatley and Robbie have suggested Burgess may run for President against Tanner when the opportunity arises. Played by David Rothman. *'Benjamin Simons' Governor of Delmago Island. Old and curmudgeonly, but with a dry sense of humour, Simons dislikes Wheatley. He is mentally sharp and quite politically savvy, though his background is as a literary historian. He is Acting President during the Enikdu Crisis and reluctantly orders a military rescue of Tanner when she is held hostage by rebels in an African nation. Played by Colin Kidd. *'Irene Wheatley' Alan Wheatley's devoted wife. Irene is just as charming and manipulative as her husband, with implications she may have more power than she lets on. Played by Josephine Kennedy. *'Ellen Williams' One of Wheatley's senior advisers. Despite their political differences, Robbie was attracted to her and they dated briefly. Their relationship ended suddenly when information about Tanner's family was leaked to the press - Ellen denied being the source of the leak, and whether or not she was involved, or put up to the task by Wheatley, is a hotly-contested issue among fans. First appeared in Episode 1 but not named until Episode 10. Played by Pattie Boothe. *'Joshua Riley' Wheatley's Foreign Minister. Critical of Israel, against government policy. A potential rival for Wheatley's leadership. Played by Jake Kirkland. *'Stephen Prentice' Wheatley's Treasurer. Has a different view of economics to Wheatley. Played by Mark Frost. *'Ed Jones' Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland. Much older than Wheatley and not well-regarded in the country or the party. Tanner and Charlie, not to mention Robbie, are very capable of manipulating him. First appeared periodically in Season 1 but had few lines. Was finally named in Season 2, Episode 4, when he becomes Acting Prime Minister when Wheatley goes overseas. Foreign leaders and dignitaries *'Hiro Nogura', Prime Minister of Japan. Aged 82. Father was a general who is accused of committing wartime atrocities against Allied troops, including Georgelanders. Indirectly embroils Tanner in the scandal when she makes a state visit. Played by Ken Matsui. *'Prince Kalim', Saudi Foreign Minister. Played by Rashid Amal. *'Henry Yeats'' - mentioned as the incumbent President of the United States several times, but not seen until Episode 7 of Series 2. His political party is not mentioned, but it is implied he is a Republican. In his second term. Played by Daniel Carmine. Category:Culture Category:Georgeland